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The high-school meme

I have seen this meme at Jason's, and then my my brother picked up the relay baton. I think i'll go with it fro the reason that I both attended Russian and American high-schools.

Here goes nothing.

1. Did you date someone from your school senior year?
I had a girlfriend when I was in Russian high-school, moved to the states before finishing the last year, and I didn’t date anybody in the US High-School
2. Did you marry someone from your high school?
No, The Awesome Wife is from another city altogether.
3. Did you car pool to school?
Nope, we walked. I don’t actually believe I EVER so anybody drive up to the school. When going to high-school in Brooklyn I took a bus, walked (it was maybe 2 miles away, avenue C and Ocean Pkwy to 20th Ave and 60th St), or took the F Train.
4. What kind of car did you drive?
We did not have a car in Russia, and I didn’t have a car when living in Brooklyn. I actually resisted my Dad’s attempts to learn how to drive until I was about 19-20. Didn’t care for it.
5. What kind of car do you have now?
I drive a Nissan Altima now. Trying to stay on the less expensive side of things.
6. It’s Friday night… where were you (in high school)?
In Russia we would hang out with friends, or was it Saturday. Ilya says that we had school on Saturdays, but I don’t remember that. In the US I would be home playing video games or watching TV.
7. It is Friday night… where are you (now)?
At home, playing video games or watching TV, spending quality time with the family.
8. What kind of job did you have in high school?
I did not have a job, it was not needed while we lived in Russia, and I didn’t work while living in Brooklyn. I am not sure why, but living with parents can do that to a person.
9. What kind of job do you do now?
IT Management.
10. Were you a party animal?
I was in Russia, DJ-ed a bit when we met with the friends, and always enjoyed a nice dance around. I was not going to parties in the US. I was fairly asocial animal.
11. Were you considered a flirt?
No not really, I was pretty shy in high-school.
12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir?
In Russian high-school I was in two bands actually. Played drums in my year band and played percussion instruments (xylophone, brass plates, triangle and what have you) in the Russian Folk Instrument band.
13. Were you a nerd?
Abso-freaking-lutely. More so in the US high school. I did however live a more social life in the Russian school.
14. Did you get suspended or expelled?
Yes. I never told anyone. I tried to cut school once in the US high-school years, and got caught. Got reprimanded, might even be on my record. For some reason I was tired and had absolutely no desire to be in school that day. Couldn’t come up with a good excuse.
15. Can you sing the fight song?
Nope. Not here nor there.
16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)?
I had a couple. There was a History teacher in High-School, who I had a great rapport with. The problem is I think, because of Ilya, she had great expectations from me, but I was always more of a procrastinator than he ever was, so she was always a bit disappointed in me.
17. Where did you sit during lunch?
In Russia we did not have lunch per-se. In the US I always said with a group of Russian kids.
18. What was your school’s full name?
The Russian name is long and cumbersome. My brother has the full read-out on that. It was numbered at 60.
The Brooklyn school was named after Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
19. When did you graduate?
1994 in the US. I have never officially graduated from Russian school.
20. What was your school mascot?
Don’t know.
21. If you could go back and do it again, would you?
I don’ think I would. While the years in Russia I remember more or less fondly, I don’t think I would.
22. Did you have fun at prom?
I never went to a prom. We left for the US before finishing school. And I didn’t see the point of doing that in the US. I hadn’t made any friends, girlfriends, and was mostly in not caring mood.
23. Do you still talk to your prom date?
Nope, but I do occasionally talk to some girls from my Russian high-school years.
24. Who was your best friend?
I had two best friends in Russia. We were inseparable. Alexey and Misha. I occasioanly talk to Alex. I lost contact with Misha couple of years after the move. From what I know he became a cop and then went down the alcohol slope.
25. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a lot of things. At some point I wanted to be a train operator. But when I was in high-school I did not want to be anything really. I always kind of knew it would be something related to computers.
26. Any regrets?
Not really. Maybe if I was a bit more brave around girls. But I was always the little geeky smart kid in school.
27. Biggest fashion mistake?
I don’t remember any. When I was in Russia we were forced to cut our hair short. I have made a mistake once but getting a haircut called горшок (gorshok, or pot, not the plant kind). The name originated from Russian folklore of people getting a haircut of putting a pot on their head and cutting around the edges. Sort of a cross between crew-cut and mop top, or maybe even closer to what Moe Howard from Three Stooges had.
28. Favorite fashion trend?
In Russia, with mandatory uniforms the summer uniforms for girls were a white blouse and a skirt. As girls got older the skirts got shorter. I always enjoyed that part of school.
29. Are you going to your next reunion?
Nope. Neither to Russia nor Brooklyn. I don’t see the point.
30. Who did you have a secret crush on?
I had couple of girls in Russia, who I never admitted to.
31. Did you go on spring break?
Nope. I wasn’t the going type in the US. Nothing like that in Russia.

To look at it from a perspective like that, my years in Russian and American school were like night and day. I was fairly social back over there, and was a completely drawn in nerdy type in the US.

Oh, well. i certainly caught up to that in College years. :)

Comments

Ilya said…
You know, I have no recollection of you being in a band, beyond the famous accordion story...
I was, in the 8th or 9th grades. I think you were busy dating or doing whatever you college life required.

We even played in school events couple of times, including when the Finns have visited.
jason said…
I like the sound of those Russian school uniforms, at least on the girls! ;)

As for the gorshok haircut, there were some unfortunate kids at my school who had the same type of thing, only we called it a bowl cut. Same idea, though, a bowl on the head and cut around the edges.
The Chinese call the gorshok the #5 rice bowl haircut. Usually administered by the parent, with or without the help of a large rice bowl.

My son gets a mom-administered haircut, but it's a buzz.

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